Few months ago we got some new neighbors on my street. There were 2 empty houses owned by some guy that I think had them left to him by his parents. He finally cleaned them up and sold them. We neighbors often had to go and pick up fallen limbs, mow, etc. Now one house looks excellent. The other.... I am getting worried about.
The owner, I believe they bought the house anyway, has a large red towtruck. Its a very nice new one lol. But take today for instance. As I was pulling up in my driveway I noticed 2 cars in their driveway with the hoods up, one perhaps on jacks. There is often one in the garage being worked on, didnt drive by to see today. The towtruck out front, a car behind that and to the left of the driveway a beat up car without a hood and the hood leaning against the house.
Now believe it or not, thats not what I care about. Dont like it, but we are all working class people in this neighborhood and I am not about to begrudge the guy a livelihood or whatever is going on there lol. I can tell they probably dont have a lot of money, and it appears they do have a few kids.
What is really bothering me though is all the other stuff that is constantly out lying around in the yard, leaning against the house, in the driveway. There is almost always something in the yard. A huge log (that apparently the trash men arent going to pick up and rightly so) and a large plastic container bin, plus other assorted and sundry things next to the house. In the driveway is a large raggedy looking lounge chair, another small chair, trash cans, some boxes, and various other items. A large white box fan leaning against the side with other things. I keep thinking they will put them in the garbage or take them away. But it appears more stuff keeps joining whats there lol. So add to all of that the various and sundry broken cars and trucks... and its starting to look like the cliche redneck in Arkansas thing.
I have worked long years to get my little house here and dont want something like this to "bring down my property values" to put it bluntly. This neighborhood is a decent one. Bout half or more of the houses have immaculate yards. Some, like mine lol, are so so and I try to improve things a little bit as I can afford it each year. This neighborhood is kind of tricky as it is being where it is by the mall, the college and the highway. The mall is very well kept, shopping centers have been redone, the streets are very well kept, the new college is definitely a plus, many of the houses are quite well kept up. But the average person would still wonder about the area and seeing what is a couple houses down from me now really worries me that it could start a bad decline. I would like the neighborhood to get better not worse. And one really loudly bad looking house on a small street like this. Is not good.
Any suggestions or advice?
I thought of getting a large dumpster. I need to get rid of some leftover remodeling stuff myself. Last time I did that the neighbors asked if they could put some stuff in it they had and I said sure. Perhaps I could go ahead and get that and "suggest" to these new neighbors that they could use it lol. But now I am starting to worry that the reason they have that furniture in the driveway is to actually sit on and use while working on the cars.
Contact Code Enforcement...
I would do the dumpster AND call code enforcement. That way they think your not the one who turned them in
I keep trying to figure out some way to approach the person. Something to say to them that would be diplomatic and nice, and still get the point across without me looking like a busy body jerk.
And to, the guy has a family to feed. I dont want him to not be able to do that by forcing him to not bring the cars and such. I dont mind a few cars being there on occasion "though today was more than usual and hope that doesnt keep on" as much as just the yard and driveway being a mess with lots of junk out all the time. If he kept everything clean and tidy. Not a problem I would make any fuss about. As it is, even if there were no cars there it would look really bad.
I don't suppose your neighborhood association would spring for the dumpster, would it? When we lived in Florence Park South, a couple of times a year the neighborhood association would have dumpsters brought in for residents to use. Really handy and really kept things cleaned up and looking nice.
I think that it runs in the wrecker driver mentality and or blood.
I live next door to a Al Story wrecker driver and pretty much the same scene at his place. 3 kids, random cars out front out back and never kept around for to long.
He is a great guy and both his property and our's are a acre and a quarter so its not as bad as what you are probably dealing with.
From what I have found out thru a few beers and conversation with him and the rest of his immediate family ie. brothers,cousins etc.
He basically is getting them dirt cheap and taking them to be crushed.
So you might want to talk with him over a couple of cold ones and just kind of feel out his situation.
quote:
Originally posted by Miss Solemnis
I don't suppose your neighborhood association would spring for the dumpster, would it? When we lived in Florence Park South, a couple of times a year the neighborhood association would have dumpsters brought in for residents to use. Really handy and really kept things cleaned up and looking nice.
He likely doesn't have one.
How bout a polite anonymous letter....
quote:
Originally posted by Breadburner
How bout a polite anonymous letter....
Aaah, a simple obvious idea I hadn't thought of. Thanks. Will mull it over.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
unless he has a variance, he can't operate an auto repair operation in a residential neighborhood. call code enforcement to start fining him until he cleans up the wreck.
I would be far more concerned with the **** in the yard than the cars under repair.
One is trash, the other is productive.
Don't write the letter Artist. One was mailed to someone in our neighborhood once about trash cans being left on the curb. The people took offense and everyone was suspect of having sent it. Turns out it was a crank who hardly anyone knew. The family was going through a tough time and the letter was very embarrassing for them.
Are they teenage kids working on the cars? Your neighborhood sounds like various social classes. Tough call. I would simply relate to them that some people have been visited by code enforcement for leaving unattended cars and furniture laying around. After I offered him a beer.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
unless he has a variance, he can't operate an auto repair operation in a residential neighborhood. call code enforcement to start fining him until he cleans up the wreck.
That's a big assumption that is a business and not just working on personal and friend's vehicles. I have a neighbor who has 5 cars for 2 drivers and the hoods are up every weekend.
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
That's a big assumption that is a business and not just working on personal and friend's vehicles. I have a neighbor who has 5 cars for 2 drivers and the hoods are up every weekend.
And here I thought I was being excessive for having 3 cars for 2 people. :p
A friend of mine is known colloquially as "the mayor of Crosbie Heights" for a reason.
He moved there when it was the worst of biker trash in the early '90's. He's pretty much scooter trash himself, just a little better class of it. [;)]
He would call and complain to the Mayor's action line and code enforcement. Broken lawn mower on the porch? Expired tag and flat tires on that Ford Escort in the street? Little Jane Ann has learned to walk the street at 14? Yup, there was a call to one division of the city or another. It's taken 15 years (not saying it's all due to him) but enough people calling have kept the cops and code enforcement in the area and it's evolving.
IOW- Look, some of the ideas here are pretty sensitive to being a good neighbor, but don't feel guilty about calling code enforcement. Unless you are the only two houses on the street, he will never know who called him in. Do it for yourself, not him.
Before you go calling the action line, at least take the time to talk to them, they are new to the area, sometimes it just takes someone being nice to remind them to take better care of there yard.
After a few takes mention your getting a dumpster and you would be more then willing to let them (or anyone) put some of there larger items in it.
If being a good neighbor doesn't work, then call the action line.
If you call Code Enforcement use a friends name (with their permission - the system is completely anonymous) and find a reason to report yourself for something you can easily take care of (leave your trashcan out front for an extended time), report some of your neighbors around him for silly (easily addressable) things, and him as well. That way you can all be pissed at the man but at the same time things get cleaned up.
Just know that if you call on him for the debris the Inspector will in all liklihood get him for having inoperable vehicles in the driveway or having an illegal home occupation or something related to the excessive cars.
If you don't want to infringe on the guys illegal home occupation then band your neighborhood together to have a clean up day with a dumpster.
quote:
Originally posted by Miss Solemnis
I don't suppose your neighborhood association would spring for the dumpster, would it? When we lived in Florence Park South, a couple of times a year the neighborhood association would have dumpsters brought in for residents to use. Really handy and really kept things cleaned up and looking nice.
I was under the impression that you could schedule the city to do a "neighborhood" dumpster for free. Perhaps there is a fee tied to it. In any event, more neighborhood associations should do this. It is a wonderful idea.
quote:
Originally posted by Miss Solemnis
I don't suppose your neighborhood association would spring for the dumpster, would it? When we lived in Florence Park South, a couple of times a year the neighborhood association would have dumpsters brought in for residents to use. Really handy and really kept things cleaned up and looking nice.
You can call the Mayor's Action
(less) Hotline & schedule a neighborhood dumpster once every year or two. It is a neighborhood dumpster though...so anyone can use it.
Watch Lakeview Terrace with Samuel L Jackson. That should give you some ideas.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947802/
Please talk to your neighbors before calling code enforcement. If you want to avoid conflict say "some of the neighbors were talking about calling the city, so I thought I should say something to you." Give him a chance to do it himself first. When the city gets called, it can seem insulting.
Perhaps he is from the sticks and really doesn't realize what a proper neighborhood expects. Or maybe it doesn't give a crap and the city will need to be called. But I'd give him a chance.
I second the talking to him before calling enforcement.
It will give you a good chance to get to know your neighbor. (And you never know when you might need some car repairs, a telephone to borrow, or someone to keep an eye on your house when you go on vacation.
It is a sad day when we feel more comfortable having the gov't intervene in simple matters than we do reaching across the fence and having a simple chat.
I't hard for me to comment on this because I'm normally the guy with the mess. I like to tinker with cars and I have left parts laying around- I guess all ya can do is call code enforcement, However, if you talk to him first I'd talk to him in a "3rd party kind of way" Say something like "some of the people and neighbors around here are worried about the stuff laying around and attracting rats" or words to that effect. It could be worse the guy could be playing house rattling loud music at all hours of the day & nite..
I agree, talk to him, but lay it off on somebody else. Be prepared for him to ask who these people are. Have a good response ready, don't just point to his neighbor's house.
The letter is a good idea too.
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
quote:
Originally posted by Miss Solemnis
I don't suppose your neighborhood association would spring for the dumpster, would it? When we lived in Florence Park South, a couple of times a year the neighborhood association would have dumpsters brought in for residents to use. Really handy and really kept things cleaned up and looking nice.
He likely doesn't have one.
Quite possible, or he has an association like mine that is no more than a social club and refuses to get involved in code matters.
The Artist's situation is nearly identical to many houses in my own neighborhood, and I have reported repeat violators to code enforcement many, many times. I always use the online reporting at cityoftulsa.org and sometimes it takes 3-4 or more reports over a period of months to get action, but it usually solves the problems. The house across the street from me is just like Artist's problem, and after years of code reporting, the problem only abated when the people moved out about 6 months ago. It now sits cold and dark, and I am hoping it goes into foreclosure and maybe the repossessor will clean the dump up.
I have done the anonymous letter thing several times in the past, but only after code enforcement reporting has not worked. Who cares if the violators are embarrassed? It is their own fault. Whatever works, works.
In my 22 years of dealing with this, I find the most important, effective thing is persistance. Keep reporting, sending letters, whatever works until the problem is solved. I reached the point a long time ago that I don't care anymore if the violators know I am doing the complaining; an attractive, safe neighborhood and protecting my investment is more important than whatever they may think about me.
My, my I do have some incredible stories from my days as Condo Association President in Oakland.
Whenever I see a nice neighborhood I know there is at least one harda** in the neighborhood busting the chops of low lifes.
Artist, You have already shown this guy more consideration than he has shown your whole neighborhood.
I would begin keeping a written diary record of this guy's transgressions. It's a pain in the a** but it the kind of the thing the judge will understand when you are standing in front of him. Pictures would be invaluable too. Both will bolster your case.
Do what you can to shield your identity because this could easily turn into a life or death kind of situation. I had a screaming, naked, crack addicted prostitute marching back and forth on the terrace in front of my penthouse as a result of a similar situation.
But I also had the satisfaction of seeing her hog tied on the sidewalk before the cops hauled her off.
You wouldn't believe what transpired before and after that.
Good luck.
quote:
Originally posted by Hometown
Whenever I see a nice neighborhood I know there is at least one harda** in the neighborhood busting the chops of low lifes.
I suppose I have that reputation among many of my neighbors. Some applaud me, some call me Gladys Kravits; I frankly don't care what any of them think anymore. I just got sick and tired of watching the block deteriorate because of slovenly occupants and continue to do everything I legally can to reverse the trend.
I too have seen quite a bit over the years Hometown, from common violations like trashy properties and cars continuously parked on front yards, to drug sellers running a big drug house directly next door. Fights at all hours, broken windows, blood spilt, the horror list grows. But the problems seemed to have much improved over the past 3-4 years, and I would like to think I have greatly contributed to that. Every neighborhood could use at least one "Gladys Kravits" and I wish mine had more.
Look at it this way.
Everyone of those absentee landlords is going to make thousands of dollars more when they go to sell because of your hard work and the risks you take. How much of that profit are they going to share with you, or put back into the neighborhood? They are pigs. Absent Landlords, 9 out of 10 times, are pigs.
I say use every trick in the book to ride their a**es. They respond when you hit them in the pocket book. They understand that.
quote:
Originally posted by Hometown
I had a screaming, naked, crack addicted prostitute marching back and forth on the terrace in front of my penthouse as a result of a similar situation.
But I also had the satisfaction of seeing her hog tied on the sidewalk before the cops hauled her off.
You wouldn't believe what transpired before and after that.
Man, you should've kept a blog.
quote:
Originally posted by Hometown
Look at it this way.
Everyone of those absentee landlords is going to make thousands of dollars more when they go to sell because of your hard work and the risks you take. How much of that profit are they going to share with you, or put back into the neighborhood? They are pigs. Absent Landlords, 9 out of 10 times, are pigs.
I say use every trick in the book to ride their a**es. They respond when you hit them in the pocket book. They understand that.
Thanks Hometown, I agree. It used to be that 80% of the problem properties in my neighborhood were rentals, but more and more it seems that owner-occupied homes are problems too. I would say right now it is about 50/50. Regardless of ownership status, I will be on their case for any code violations.
I bought my home in Lortondale because of the unique architecture and history of the neighborhood, paid off my mortgage 13 years early, and intend to live here the rest of my life. You can be sure I will do all I can to keep the neighborhood clean and a desireable place to live, regardless of my neighbor's opinions. Artist, be vilgilant and do anything it takes to protect your investment and keep your neighborhood up. Ultimately, your neighbors, and the whole City of Tulsa, will thank you for your efforts.
^I'm very glad that there are people trying to keep Lortondale nice. It saddens me to see homes with such great potential not being taken care of.
nk
quote:
Originally posted by hello
^I'm very glad that there are people trying to keep Lortondale nice. It saddens me to see homes with such great potential not being taken care of.
Thank you, and rest assured that I, as a Lortondale resident, am doing all I can to reverse this trend. Lortondale is the next neighborhood in Tulsa in line for inclusion on the National Historic Register, an honor very long overdue that we have deserved long before some other neighborhoods in Tulsa have been granted this designation.
Artist,
Anything new with the neighbor?
This thread reminds me of a website from a long time back where a guy cataloged the epic events of his redneck neighbor
http://www.geocities.com/redneckneighborhell/
Long but entertaining if you haven't read it before :)
Same stuff in the yard and driveway. Actually more since it was warm and the kids got out lol. I am going to wait till the end of the month and get the dumpster and tell the neighbors on my street they can use it. Hopefully they will. I will tell them when I first get it and also let them know how long it will be there. Then if they dont use it, the day or two before the dumpster is due to be picked up,,, will go to them and say "Hey, just wanted to let everyone know, if you want to use the dumpster (said while waving hand at stuff in yard and driveway) they are coming to pick it up tomorrow. [:)]". hint hint
Thats the plan for the moment lol.
Good plan. We had a house nearby that had its entire front porch filled with garage sale type stuff. I was new to the hood and had only seen the family once. The lady was really old and lived with her son. I thought they were having a garage sale the next morning and went up to get a preview. Suddenly, I realized that nothing was priced, no one came outside and stuff looked like it had been there awhile. Years. I slowly walked away.
Years later I laughed about it with her son who remembered me skulking around. He thought I was going to steal that junk!
Hope it works out.
quote:
Originally posted by Miss Solemnis
I don't suppose your neighborhood association would spring for the dumpster, would it? When we lived in Florence Park South, a couple of times a year the neighborhood association would have dumpsters brought in for residents to use. Really handy and really kept things cleaned up and looking nice.
I used to live in Florence Park South, and that was the best Homeowners Association ever. I live in FLorence Park (North?) now, and ours was non-existent for years, and even now it's wimpy. I remember when I lived over there (2000-2001), we got THREE houses condemned. The city was going to tear them down! They were abandoned for lack of a better term. We had meetings where we all figured out a game plan, we would all call code enforcement regularly, etc. End result? Two were sold and redone -one of which, just west of St. Madeline, just sold for over $300,000 which has to be one of the most expensive in the area. The other is that really modern one just down the street, and the other (across from my old house) is still a dump, but at least it's lived in and somewhat fixed up.
I call code enforcement on serious offenders over here a few times a year. I'm of the opposite approach - I see no reason to talk to some of these people if it's really bad. For instance, if someone has grass a foot tall, they know what they're doing. If they have a sofa on the porch, they KNOW that is not acceptable. I have an older neighbor, and she's much more passive aggressive about it. She'll go talk to the person and say things like "Oh I remember when your house USED to be soooo beautiful and well kept..." Which of course implies that it isn't anymore.hahaha. SO sometimes i have her do the dirty work if it's something minor.
I would have just called code enforcement.
The guy is obviously a junk collector, and people like that don't typically feel the urge to dumpster stuff.
Like others have said, he's hurt the neighborhood. I wouldn't even try to talk to him. In this day and age, its just not safe to do so anyway. I'd be afraid he'd poison my dog or something.
quote:
Originally posted by YoungTulsan
This thread reminds me of a website from a long time back where a guy cataloged the epic events of his redneck neighbor
http://www.geocities.com/redneckneighborhell/
Long but entertaining if you haven't read it before :)
Wow, if that had been my neighbor I'd have probably burned his house down myself!! Considering the redneck's other two accidents with fire, I doubt it would have been considered arson. LOL
--
Artist, I know how frustrating this is. I have a house next door to me that is falling down (not an exageration...pieces have fallen off and there is a tarp for a roof rather than shingles).
I have offered to assist this person, I've even idenitified trees with them that should be removed and started cutting them down. But they apparently forgot our discussion and flipped out on me.
This "neighbor" likes being a pariah and enjoys the piles of sticks, broken down cars and dilapidated structures. I don't call code enforcement because it doesn't work (many neighbors still do). Speaking to the occupant doesn't work. I think we are all just waiting for the house to become uninhabitable.